Improving Response-Time Performance in Acute Care Delivery: A Systems Approach

Improving the efficacy of rapid response operations in acute care delivery to ensure patient safety and care quality is of significant importance. In this paper, we study the response time performance (RTP) in rapid response operations. Such performance is defined as the probability that an appropriate decision responding to patient deterioration can be made within a desired time period. First, we derive a closed formula to evaluate the RTP by assuming exponential response time, and investigate the system-theoretic properties. Next, we introduce a bottleneck indicator to identify the response whose improvement will lead to the largest improvement in RTP. Then, we extend the study to non-exponential response time scenario. An approximation formula is proposed to evaluate RTP. Finally, a case study at the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital is introduced to illustrate the applicability of the method.